“Why don’t you get a real job instead of just doing delivery?”
If I had $1 for every time I’ve been asked this question, I could probably stop doing gig work.
Though there are many reasons people give for this, one common one is that it’s flexible. I can drive when I need money and take time off without having to ask anyone.
For years, this has been true, but lately, with so many drivers on the road, is it still the case?
Gone are the days when I could just turn on my apps on a random day and make some money.
Now, you have to be strategic to make enough money for it to be worth it.
For me, that actually means driving less or not at all on certain days of the week. And for me, it’s Tuesday.
For whatever reason, in my area, Tuesdays are horrible for delivery driving.
Keep in mind that I typically run four apps: Uber Eats, DoorDash, GrubHub, and SkipCart. Even with all four of those, I cannot seem to get any, or at least not enough, good requests to make it worth driving on Tuesdays.
My Numbers
As of this morning, my average hourly rate for 2024 has been $25.13. For some, that may be great money. For others, it may not be worth it.
Regardless of which category you fall into, the number would decrease if I continued to drive on Tuesdays.
I have tried driving every day in my area. And for whatever reason, I just don’t get good requests or any requests on Tuesdays. One day, I even sat at home with all my apps on for 4 hours and never got a single request.
I may get orders if I drive a few miles down the road and sit in a parking lot with a ton of restaurants, but the vast majority of them are low offers that are not worth accepting.
This wasn’t always the case, but keeping track of my numbers helps me to know what days are good to go out and drive and which days are better to do something else.
How To Track Your Area
Tuesday may be the best day to drive in your area, and maybe my best day to drive, Fridays, is the worst for you.
The only real way to find out is to track what you make, when you make it, and how much you make per mile and hour. Guessing or going by how it feels in the moment will not help you.
Judging a single day won’t help either because sometimes you just have bad days. It’s when you see concrete proof, where driving on the same day turns out unsuccessful time and time again, that you can determine the worst day for your area.
So, track your numbers. Here are two ways to do it.
Write It Down
When I first started driving, I knew I needed to track how many miles I drove, but I had no idea how to do it. I would write down my odometer at the start and end of each day, do some math, and then have the number of miles I drove.
You can get a logbook that you keep in your car. It could be an actual logbook designed to track miles and expenses, or just a simple notebook you get from the dollar store and write everything down.
I would say, whichever you choose, make sure that you are using the data not just to get the most from your taxes each year but to let you know which days you can make the most by the amount of time and miles you drive on those days.
Automate It
After writing down my miles for a few months, I knew there had to be something better out there to keep track of my phone. I tried a number of different apps available, and the one I liked the most and still use to this day is Gridwise.
One I wish was around back when I started that does so much more than just track your miles is Solo.
The Solo app will not only tell you the best times to drive in your area, but they’ll pay you the difference if you don’t make at least what they say you will.
Just like with the handwritten tracking, don’t just use this tracking to do your taxes. Use it to make decisions on when you drive in your area, what the best days and hours are.
Start testing things to see what makes the most sense for you and gives you the most money for your time and miles.
What To Do With That Time
If you sit down and look at your actual numbers and find that driving on a certain day is just not worth it, then don’t.
For some, you need the money, and going from $25-$30 an hour day to $18 an hour a day is still money, and when you need it, you need it.
If you can, though, use that time to do something more productive. Work on your freelancing, do a different gig, or simply take a day off.
Taking time to rest and recoup can actually allow you to drive longer and make more on the days that you do make good money.
